The Misery Machine - The Case of Olivia Gant

Starting point is 00:00:00 Olivia Kelly Gant was born in Pasadena, Texas on June 21st, 2010 to parents Kelly and Jeff Gant. Olivia had a special relationship with her grandfather, Lonnie Gettro, calling each other Livy and Papa. He spoke lovingly of Olivia's great imagination and joy in playing with her dolls. Some of Olivia's favorite things were playing with her sisters in family trips to Dairy Queen for ice cream cones. She showed a special interest in the lions and sharks at her local zoo. In addition, her interest in dinosaurs led to trips to Dinosaur Ridge where she was able to entertain her family with dinosaur facts she's learned. Kelly and Jeff had a difficult marriage which led to Kelly, Olivia, and her sisters moving to Colorado while Jeff stayed behind in Texas. In Colorado, Olivia, who loves school and her friends, was able to experience pre-K classes kindergarten and part of first grade at Columbine Hills Elementary School.

Starting point is 00:00:55 In August of 2011, while the family was still living together in Texas, Kelly began the blog which would play such an important role in Olivia's life. Initially, the blog existed to detail the various ailments of the two youngest girls. Early claims attributed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in a non-specific autoimmune disorder to Olivia's older sister who would have been two at the time. It's been stated that at this time, Olivia's older sister was never diagnosed with anything more serious than ear infections. In other blog entries, Olivia's illnesses were listed as a misshapen head, developmental delays,

Starting point is 00:01:29 seizures, a tumor, too much fluid in her brain and psiliac disease. Olivia was later found to be free of all these concerns, but may have been developmentally delayed. Kelly took tons of photos of her daughter, many of which were laid to her hospital stays. While laying in bed or sitting in a wheelchair, Olivia was dressed up as a Disney princess surrounded by stuffed animals. Now, a true diagnosis for Olivia's medical condition was impossible. Kelly described many differing symptoms while consulting with what appears to be done. dozens of medical professionals. She generally indicated that Olivia was diagnosed with autism, seizures, and other neurological conditions, terrible pain when eating in some form of intestinal

Starting point is 00:02:10 failure. Kelly told the GI doctors that Olivia had undergone tests for allergies and testing at a hospital known as National Jewish and reported that she had what she referred to as severe allergies. Specifically, these allergies were reported as being to peanuts, tree nuts, chocolate, milk protein and cats. However, Kelly reported that since Olivia was autistic, they never really knew if she just didn't like the color of something or if she was really allergic to it. She'd be noted that Olivia was never diagnosed with autism. Most of the information available regarding Olivia's extensive medical history comes from the indictment of Kelly Turner. Over five years, the little girl had at least 25 surgeries and revisions, and she spent

Starting point is 00:02:52 weeks in the hospital in total. Olivia's medical journey began in 12. Olivia's medical journey began in 2012, when she was taken to the children's hospital to seek help with a bout of constipation. Dr. Karamatt performed a successful procedure in which hardened fecal matter was removed from Olivia's intestines, but Kelly was soon back in the hospital seeking treatment for her daughter's supposed inability to consume and digest food. Now around this time, Kelly's blog called prayers for Olivia began to detail the fictitious story that she was building around her little girl. An autistic child with an inoperable malformation, a tumor. Several of Olivia's doctors were interviewed while building the case against Kelly,

Starting point is 00:03:33 and the retrospective is a chilling tale of compliant doctors and a mother with an incomprehensible and distinctly un-maternal agenda. Over the next handful of months, several ER visits build a history of a little girl who was in constant pain with persistent intestinal concerns. She was hospitalized again, but her next surgery was scheduled for November of 20. Kelly described the procedure as a belliostomy, specifically, when the doctors pull apart of the small intestine out of the body, so waste can be passed in a more efficient fashion for the body. This procedure is actually called an ileostomy. It was reported to help with Olivia's constipation, but Kelly continued to complain of issues with eating, resulting in a feeding tube. In her blog, Kelly described Olivia's intestines as protruding out. It looks like a hot dog.

Starting point is 00:04:23 Kelly began to solicit money with the plea, help this sweet little girl with all the hospital bills she is incurring. In July of 2015, she began to post to her blog about Olivia's terminal illness, despite the fact that there was never any form of diagnosis to that effect. Princess Olivia, we need you to respond to a dumpster fire. She is a ball of fire. Today, her wish came through to become a firefighter. She's in intestinal failure and we don't know how much longer she has. And so we made a bucket list and one of her things was to become the firefighter. Do you see how far we can get it to go?

Starting point is 00:05:08 When we found out that she wanted to do this, we were very thrilled to be able to help out. I mean, I don't even have words to describe how I feel. It's just a bunch of ball of emotion. We moved here from Texas a few years ago to seek out treatment. Her intestines just shut down one at a time. We knew that Olivia lived in Littleton's fire district. Since Littleton and South Metro trained together and respond to emergencies together, it only made sense that we could come together on this and both show her a great time.

Starting point is 00:05:40 So here's my bucket list. She wanted to do this. I didn't know that it would come true. Be a fireman. We got to do that, so they have to check it off. Thanks for being a great boss. Awesome. I was resting for a while so I can feel good. The outpouring of support that our little community has given, you just can never repay that.

Starting point is 00:06:05 Yeah, there we go. We just take it one day at a time and we're thankful for what we have. At Kelly's prompting, Olivia had several surgeries over the course of four and a half years to assist her and gain the nutrition she needed in a more accessible form. While recovering from her ileostomy, she had feeding tubes in her nose. This is a short-term solution, which was quickly replaced by a GJ tube. This tube was placed in January of 2015. A GJ tube is a soft narrow tube that enters the stomach in the upper part of the abdomen

Starting point is 00:06:41 and is threaded into the small intestine. This tube has several ports for things like medicines, patient comfort, and nutrition. This form of tube feeding presumably failed because in June of 2015, Olivia received a TPN tube. TPN is the most extreme feeding option, chosen when it's, clear that the GI tract is not functioning and unable to absorb nutrients the body needs. If this is a long-term choice, it generally would require a care team to manage the various aspects of usage. Infections and adjustments are common. Dr. Jason Soden is a TPN specialist and was one of the primary members of Olivia's care team from 2017 onward. Dr. Soden spoke to

Starting point is 00:07:22 police investigators regarding Kelly's behavior, specifically a claim that Olivia was rejecting her TPN. Now, according to him, this is not something that happens. Dr. Soden advocated for Olivia trying to have her dependency on intravenous nutrition reduced, but Kelly pushed back on him, claiming, we've already tried that. Olivia underwent occupational therapy with therapist Jackie Camer in June of 2015, resulting in improved ability to eat. This is a Camer specialized in children who need to work on eating normally. In discharge, Olivia had graduated to age-appropriate foods had no problem swallowing or tolerating food by mouth. Unfortunately for Olivia, normal eating habits wouldn't get Kelly attention or donations, so she didn't continue practicing

Starting point is 00:08:07 feeding her daughter normal foods. On March 24th, 2017, Kelly Turner began her final assault on Olivia's life. Given the high doses of potent narcotics that Olivia was on for pain relief, she could have had an episode of breathing concerns or cardiac distress. This can be treated quickly and simply with a dose of Narcan and adjustments to the dosage of painkillers. However, Kelly requested that Narcan not be administered. Kelly went one step further at this point, talking to the doctor about a do-not-rescitate or DNR order. According to Dr. Soden, Kelly pressed the issue that Olivia's quality of life was poor

Starting point is 00:08:47 and it was impacted by her pain, dependency in TPN and inability to sustain feeding. As a result, Dr. Soden signed the DNA. An interview with Olivia's pediatric surgeon, Dr. Beeler sheds further light on Kelly's personality and goals. He was familiar with the family, having been the one to perform Olivia's G-tube, iliostomy, and central line surgeries. As a specialist, he received this referral from her primary care physician due to Olivia's reported constipation problem, dismotility, and her status as a challenging diagnosis. Most tellingly, he described Kelly to the investigators as a high-maintenance mother and said that she was not afraid of surgery. Another interview was conducted with Dr. Robert

Starting point is 00:09:30 Kramer, Olivia's original pediatric gastroenterologist. He described Olivia's outgoing personality and said that he was shocked by her death. His observation was that Olivia was not a terminal patient. Further information was obtained from Dr. Seth Eisdorfer, who is the director of the chronic pain clinic at Children's Hospital. He was the treating physician for the pain Kelly reported Olivia was having. He told investigators of the arguments that he made against putting Olivia in hospice care. He said that Olivia was not a terminal patient. Kelly was given options other than withdrawing care, but she insisted, reasoning that Olivia had a life-limiting disease and her quality of life was poor.

Starting point is 00:10:11 Olivia's grandfather talked about how heartbreaking it was to watch his beloved granddaughter die, unaware of what was happening. He said, she didn't know she was going to die. She was happy to get out of that hospital and feel like a normal child. Once at the facility, Olivia was only given small amounts of melted popsicles and juice, just enough to moisten her mouth and lips. Mr. Gattro said that Olivia opened her eyes, recognized me, and said, Papa, I'm hungry. She was hungry. Olivia Kelly Gant passed away on August 20, 2017. She was only seven years old. Olivia did not have to die in hospice, slowly starving to death. Some of the doctors quoted in the indictment are more forceful than others, but it becomes clearer and clearer that none of the doctors thought that

Starting point is 00:11:01 hospice and withdrawal of care was appropriate. Still, they all deferred to Kelly as Olivia's mother, assuming that she was advocating for the best care of her daughter. Kelly's role in Olivia's short and painful life was not immediately known. It wasn't until early of October 2018 that Kelly was investigated for CA related to her middle daughter. This daughter was a minor at the time of investigation, and thus all identifying details, including her name, were redacted in investigation documents. Olivia's sister went to a new physician, Dr. Antonia Kiesa, after her primary care physician had retired. When her history was examined by Dr. Kiesa, there was a report that she was treated for bone cancer between the ages of two and five. Doctors in Texas confirmed that there was no record that

Starting point is 00:11:47 Olivia's sister ever had cancer, nor was she treated for cancer. These discoveries led to Olivia's body being exhumed in November of 2018 to investigate her true cause of death. Her autopsy found that Olivia had a lack of anatomical findings to account for intestinal failure. As well, Kelly's other claims appeared to be unsubstantiated. Many people became familiar with Munchausen syndrome by proxy after the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case. This is a mental disorder and often appears as CA. It is defined as when the caretaker of a child either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like the child is sick. No clear cause for this disorder has ever been discovered, but sympathy or donations are often incentives for the caregiver in this scenario.

Starting point is 00:12:33 Munchausen syndrome by proxy is hardly unknown to the medical world, even if cases are rare. A physician faced with the demands of Kelly Turner should have sought guidance from the hospital's ethics board. Specifically, a doctor won't refer a child to hospital, unless the child has a life-limiting condition and won't approve removing nutrition unless the feeding process is doing more harm than good. One of the questions that pose a concern is whether there was a failure of medical ethics

Starting point is 00:13:00 by the hospital and Olivia's doctors, some of whom definitively opposed the treatments Kelly was seeking. Early on, an examining neurologist indicated that there was no evidence that seizures were occurring and Olivia did not need to be taking strong anti-seizure drugs. However, she stayed on the medication for almost five more years. When she asked for a DNR, many of Olivia's doctors didn't agree with Kelly's wishes. Do you sneak up on that, right?

Starting point is 00:13:35 So none of us would survive. I don't think the doses that she, between the three of us. And I'm saying, okay, patients that I don't even remember who was involved in which there was. In October of 2019, Kelly Turner was indicted on 13 counts, including first-degree murder, CA, and fraud. Kelly began using GoFundMei, site commonly used for individuals to help fund medical treatments and associated costs. She made 100 updates between July of 2015 and August of 2017 and raised a total of $22,270 from 161 donors. She won our hearts as Bat Princess Olivia Gant, living out her wish as a superhero in a Make a Wish Day in 2017. Now her mother is fighting charges that she fits.

Starting point is 00:17:55 her daughter's illness and murdered the girl when Olivia was seven years old. I'm Alan Jeney. That woman, Kelly Turner, was in court this morning where a judge reduced her bond. But her attorneys came out firing, say they have doctors ready to dispute the prosecution's case. Our Rick Salinger is covering Colorado first and joins us from the Douglas County Justice Center. And Rick, this is a very emotional case. Good afternoon, Alan. It certainly is given that it involved. a death of a little girl, but today's hearing dealt strictly with bond. The prosecution asked for a $4 million bond while the defense wanted $10,000. The judge settled at a quarter million

Starting point is 00:18:39 bond. Kelly Turner has been held for 93 days without any bond at all. Now at least she has a chance to get out. She is accused of falsely telling people that her daughter Olivia was terminally ill when she was not. The mother raised money for treatment with the help of the Make a Wish Foundation, which threw a bat princess party for Olivia, police and fire departments granted her wishes. Kelly Turner had a friend from Texas who came all the way from there and said that Turner was not truthful. I don't think she has. I think she's just mentally ill. You can't believe anything she said. Everything that she has said to us is nothing. What's the truth we have found out since this has happened?

Starting point is 00:19:31 Arraignment has now been set for February 28th, at which time Turner will enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. The investigation into donor fraud led to information about Make a Wish Foundation granting Olivia's Bat Princess Wish, which was essentially a large party. She had a limo ride, a costume, fancy decorations. and props at a nice location. Olivia, dressed in a cape and a bat mask for an imaginary story

Starting point is 00:20:01 in which she worked with Batman to save two princesses. The cost for the adventure and party were over $11,000. Further investigation showed that Jeff had been told to remove all three girls from his insurance,

Starting point is 00:20:15 despite a lack of any claim denials or problems. Kelly chose instead to enroll them in the Colorado's Medicaid program. While signing up for this program, she used an incorrect social security number and also applied for benefits for her husband, who was not even present in Colorado at the time. When supplied with accurate data, Medicaid estimates that it was overpaid around $540,000. In addition, Kelly solicited donations from several individuals to proactively assist with Olivia's funeral expenses. A local Colorado

Starting point is 00:20:48 real estate industry supported a foundation called Professional Miracles Foundation, specifically for families with extremely ill children. Mike Duggan, a local realtor, personally gave Kelly a check for $3,000, which was deposited in her account in mid-August. The Heffelbauer funeral home and Seven Stone Cemetery both reported that they never received any payment from Kelly. Faced with 13 counts, including first-degree murder, CA, and fraud, Kelly decided to cut a deal with the prosecution. As part of the arrangement, Kelly pled guilty to negligence CA causing death, theft and charitable fraud in January of 2022. As a result, she was sentenced to a total of just 16 years behind bars. To this day, Kelly Turner still maintains her innocence.

Starting point is 00:21:38 Olivia was buried at the Sevenstone Chatfield Cemetery in Littleton, Colorado. Her headstone, which was essentially a large rock, bears the simple inscription, Always Be Joyful, as well as a reference to First Thessalonians 516. This first reads, Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Descriptions of her, despite her heavy burden, show how appropriate this epitaph was. She loved to wear princess dresses instead of hospital gowns and became a beloved figure around Children's Hospital, Colorado. Her grandfather spoke to the media, referring to his little granddaughter as, A Joy to Be Around. She was so energetic, so loving and caring.

Starting point is 00:22:22 She loved life so much. He's understandably heartbroken by Olivia's loss and advocated for mandatory reporting by hospitals to be revamp, simply saying, I want to know why nobody reported a concern and that the policy the hospital had has to be changed to protect other children.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Olivia Gant

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